'In British literature, islands emerge as places of particular power. They offer magic, intrigue and adventure as well as damnation,' writes Madeleine Bunting in a recent article to support her much-praised new book Love of Country: a Hebridean Journey.

The islands that form the subject of her enquiry have inspired a remarkable number of celebrated works, from Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island to George Orwell's 1984. Find out why in her article, published by the Guardian.